1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multiple optical fiber connector terminals for closely connecting cords or cables of optical fibers within an adapter for communications systems, data transmission systems, and other optical systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In optical fiber transmission lines, the connection between optical fibers is critical. The connection of optical fibers requires a precise registration of optical fibers. Optical fibers are made from glass and have a diameter of 100 microns. There are two requirements for the connector terminals; protecting and reinforcing the optical fibers and registering optical fibers with high-precisions in the order of micrometers.
In an attempt to satisfy such requirements, an optical fiber connector terminal such as shown in FIG. 24 has been proposed. This connector terminal includes a terminal body 40 which is made from zirconia ceramic. The terminal body 40 is made by molding a terminal body which is slightly larger than the finished product, sintering it at high temperatures, and grinding a receiving aperture 41 with a wrapping wire or the like to the desired size. The terminal body 40 is then press fitted into a support member 42.
However, it is very difficult to make a long core pin of the mold for the receiving aperture 41 so that it is very difficult to make a thin long receiving aperture 41 which is longer than 10 mm. For this reason, the strength of an optical fiber bonded to the conventional receiving aperture 41 is so small that the finished product is not reliable.
The zirconia ceramic materials require sintering at high temperatures, making the manufacturing process complex and difficult, resulting in the low yield. In addition, thin connector terminals between 1.0 and 1.5 mm in diameter have low bending resistance and are easy to break upon connection and disconnection.
Even if the connector terminal is made from a metal, it is extremely difficult to make a thin long receiving aperture in the connector terminal. Moreover, the terminal body 40 and the support member 42, which are made from different materials, are not compatible and can break upon forcible connection.
To make a multiple optical fiber connector terminal, it is necessary to use simultaneously a plurality of core pins for molding receiving apertures for the multiple optical fibers, which can causes uneven mixtures of ceramic powders, producing nests or break the molding core pins, making the molding itself impossible.